Day 1. Dublin City

Once the introductions are complete, your private driver/guide will transfer you to your hotel – one of the best in Dublin. During coffee you can discuss your tour and any special requests you have, before we set off for the first attraction of the day - the historic Book of Kells at Trinity College. Close by we’ll visit Duvblina, Dublin’s medieval exhibition, outlining the history of the Vikings in the region, Georgian Dublin and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Along the way, of course, your driver will give you a good introduction to the city of Dublin.

Day 2. Newgrange & North County Dublin

Our day begins by travelling north into the Boyne Valley and on to Newgrange with its mysterious Neolithic passages pre-dating the Egyptian pyramids.

We continue to Malahide Castle and the fishing village of Howth. The highest point here offers sweeping views of the Irish Sea looking down on Howth lighthouse before we head back to Dublin, passing Clontarf where the last high king of Ireland Brian Buru was killed in battle in 1014. 

Day 3. Wicklow & County Waterford

 

Our day starts with a visit to Wicklow, also known as ‘the garden of Ireland’. We’ll take the coastal road south east visiting James Joyce Tower and Museum and 40 Foot Cove where you might be tempted to join the locals for a swim. Next we come to Dalkey, a quaint village on the outskirts of Dublin before heading on into the beautiful countryside of Wicklow.

This scenic mountain drive takes us to Glendalough with its two lakes and 6th century round tower. Here you can view the audio-visual tour outlining the history of the area. We continue to County Waterford over the Wicklow mountains to one of our ‘hidden gems’, a rural farmhouse with homemade cooking and a pub were you can meet the locals without competing with any other tourist coaches.

Day 4. Kilkenny & Tipperary

Our day begins with a visit to the medieval city of Kilkenny. The first stop is Kilkenny Castle overlooking the River Noir. Here you’ll learn all about the Butlers of Kilkenny, an Anglo-Norman family who came to Ireland in 1171 during the first wave of the Norman invasion.

Kilkenny castle was also the venue for the meeting of the General Assembly, or parliament, of the Confederate Ireland government in the 1640s. There’ll be time to browse Kilkenny with the locals and take lunch befoe we visit the Rock of Cashel sitting on a limestone bastion known as Cashel of The Kings. Here, you’ll also get the chance to see St.Patrick’s rock, some interesting Celtic art and medieval architecture.

Day 5. Cobh & Blarney Castle

Cobh Queenstown Heritage Centre is our first port of call today. Cobh is where the Titanic set out on its ill-fated journey. Here you can visit a heritage centre to find out all about he great migration when 2.5 million adults and children emigrated on ‘coffin ships’, steamers, and great ocean liners, as well as learning about the historic sinking of the Lusitania off Cork harbour in World War 1.

 

No trip to Ireland would be complete without kissing the Blarney Stone, said to endow the speaker with extraordinary powers of eloquence - what we call ‘the gift of the gab' in Ireland. There’ll be time to browse Blarney Woollen mills and perhaps pick up some traditionally crafted Irish products, before continuing on to Killarney (‘Church of the Sloes’ in gaelige).

Day 6. The Ring of Kerry

Your sixth day takes you on one of the most popular drives in Ireland – the Ring of Kerry, offering unrivalled lake, ocean and mountain views – 100 miles of pure heaven.

Along the way we’ll stop at the Gap of Dunloe where a private horse and carriage will take you through a ‘U’ shaped glaciated valley returning to Kate Karney’s Cottage. Next is the Bog village to take in a history of the area and sample their famous Irish coffee, before a walk along Derrynane beach off the beaten track and a visit to the beautiful village of Sneem. All in all, this is an unmissable chance to discover a mystical and unspoilt region of Ireland that has attracted visitors for hundreds of years.

 

And, if you’ve any energy left after all that, in the evening you’ll be treated to an Irish night of entertainment with the Liam O’Connor show (Tuesday to Thursdays only).

Day 7. Dingle

Sadly, it’s time to leave Killarney behind, but the charming trip to Dingle will more than make up for it! We’ll enjoy a leisurely stroll on beautiful Inch Beach before lunch in Dingle. And what could be better here than a freshly caught lunch of fish and chips from the fishing boats? Then it’s on around the Slea Head loop to the visit the 2000 year old Beehive Huts and Blasket Centre for an audio-visual history of the area. Along the way we’ll also get to see ‘the sleeping giant’ and the upside-down bridge.

You’ll be spending the night in a local guesthouse in Dingle – an excellent opportunity to sample some traditional Irish music in one of the nearby pubs.

 

 

Day 8. Tralee & The Cliffs of Moher

Clear your head with a browse around Dingle town before we head over the Conor Pass with its stunning views of Tralee, stopping at the Blennerville Windmill to hear the fascinating story of the Jeannie Johnson.

After Tralee we take the car ferry from North Kerry to South Clare across the River Shannon and a visit to the awe-inspiring cliffs of Moher otherwise known as the Great Wall of Thomond, rising some 700 feet above the Atlantic.

On to your hotel in Lahinch or Doolin, a small Irish village renowned for good pub food and Irish music nightly.

Day 9. County Clare & Dublin

Day 10. - Depart from Dublin or Shannon Airport

Alas we transfer you from your hotel to Dublin or Shannon Airport with fond memories of the Emerald Isle and your driver, we say slan abhaile (safe home).